


Spineless

by cherrytruck



Category: Mortal Kombat (Video Games), Mortal Kombat - All Media Types
Genre: ANGRY CONFUSED ASIAN BOYS, Bi-Han is a dick, Gen, Sibling Tension, tons of killing and spine ripping action, tw for a lot of killing but I guess if you're in the MK fandom you should be expecting this
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2015-11-22
Updated: 2015-11-22
Packaged: 2018-05-02 21:33:39
Rating: Explicit
Warnings: Graphic Depictions Of Violence
Chapters: 1
Words: 1,646
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/5264414
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/cherrytruck/pseuds/cherrytruck
Summary: <blockquote class="userstuff">
              <p>Kuai Liang learns how to perform his first fatality by following in his brother's footsteps, but it does not come with the empowerment he expects.</p>
            </blockquote>





	Spineless

**Author's Note:**

> My headcanon of the Lin Kuei brothers is more based on the games. Bi-Han is more of a dickhead brother while Kuai is a cinnamon roll. So if you don't dig that headcanon you may not dig this fic either! Also I've become out of touch with the MK historical canon but since it seems a bit vague and inconsistent in canon I took some liberties. Bi-han is probably around 19 or something n here, up to you to decide how much younger Kuai is, probably like 15 or so?
> 
> Also I made a super late edit to the dialogue a little bit.

In another one of their nights where the air was too cold for an ideal sleep, the two brothers conversed in their room with only a single candle being the source of any light and heat. Often it would be Bi-Han talking about his progress in his training and encounters while Kuai Liang would listen to try and learn how to be ahead of the game.

“I’ve perfected a new fatality technique at long last,” Bi-Han said with a smug look on his face. It seemed he wanted to impress his younger brother on purpose to get him intrigued.

“Um…you know, I’ve heard of this fatality thing, but how is it different to just killing the person?”

The older brother scoffed. “Have they not taught you this stuff yet, Kuai?”

Kuai only heard about the concept through exchanged whispers from others in the school of the Lin Kuei. Some children claimed they had seen some, describing ridiculous ways in which one could dismantle a man who was already on the verge of dying. Kuai wasn’t sure if these rumours were even true or just children getting a little too creative, but the Lin Kuei school had definitely not taught him anything else beyond defensive combat and basics in cryomancy. “No.”

Bi-Han laughed. “Oh man, back when I was your age we got told all this stuff and we already knew this stuff. Now you kids are getting all the boring stuff taught to you before they go into the real fighting techniques - they've made you guys too soft.”

Trying his best to ignore his brother’s smart attitude, Kuai continued the conversation. “So what exactly is it?”

“It is…an art of killing. The finishing touch to end your fight on a high note. A way to give your opponent a satisfying but also cruel end to their life. A way to mark your identity on one’s corpse.” Bi-Han’s face now looked serious, even possibly inspired. The way he spoke was uncannily soothing.

Kuai wasn’t sure if he wanted this conversation to continue, but at this point Bi-Han no longer needed Kuai to do any of the talking.

“I’ll show you mine some day,” the older brother promised, as the candle wax finally ran out and the lights went off. Kuai decided it was time to sleep – or at least attempt to in this freezing room.

~

After classes were finished for the day, Bi-Han and Kuai met in a part of the forest outside of the Lin Kuei temple which was considered off-limits for the students training there, as it was an area often filled with Shirai Ryu infiltrators trying to spread into their territory. The two brothers had ended up going far beyond the radar, where no other Lin Kuei warriors were found.

Bi-Han spotted a camp filled with at least three men. Putting on his armbands and then tying up his long hair as the blizzard continued to blow against them, he had a cocky smile on his face as he looked on towards the Shirai Ryu men. “This will be easy. Are you up for some real actual fighting, Kuai?”

Kuai wasn’t sure how two teens were supposed to outdo adult men who already outnumbered them, but he did know that Bi-Han was an excellent warrior, considered a prodigy in the Lin Kuei for having skills far beyond expected for someone his age. He also had a reputation for being a bit of a rule-breaker, landing him in fights he shouldn’t have been in – but considering he was still alive to have brought him here, Kuai hoped his older brother knew what he was doing.

“I’m ready,” Kuai said, lifting the cloth from his neck to cover his face below his eyes. Bi-Han didn’t even bother with that, as he immediately charged in, sending shots of ice shards into the men from the other clan who appeared defenceless against Bi-Han’s magic. Kuai tried to follow on, also relying on the environment of the snow to give him an advantage, stopping the men from making contact with him although never aggressively trying to hurt them.

Bi-Han disposed of the ninjas, all except one – he held the unfortunate Shirai Ryu man by the neck, looking at Kuai and prompting him to come over.

“Kuai, watch me closely.” Bi Han looked intensely into his victim, concentrating all his energy into his hand. And then, just like that, he lifted the man’s head, disconnecting it from the rest of his body and pulling out the slithering vertebrae in one perfect motion, holding up the deceased Shirai Ryu’s head high in the air.

Kuai felt his entire body simultaneously go still and shudder as he witnessed the way his older brother killed a man, but he tried his best not to look overtly scared, instead only letting out a small gasp.

“It’s pretty simple,” Bi-Han then nonchalantly said as if nothing really had happened, throwing the head onto the ground and walking up to Kuai. “When you hold the head of your victim with your hand, try to get the angle right.”

His older brother suddenly grabbed onto Kuai’s neck, not with enough force to strangle him or cause any harm, but the grip was firm and it still made him feel uncomfortable, and he could smell blood from Bi-Han’s arm. “When you pull up…you can feel all the structures of the neck disconnecting, but try to leave the spine alone, only pulling up once you’re satisfied you got everything else out of the way.” Bi-Han then let go, but the feeling of his hand around his neck continued to remain stuck in his mind.

 “But…why?” Kuai looked onto the decapitated corpse, already being covered in snow.  “Is it really necessary to have to kill them like this when you’ve already made them so vulnerable?”

“Have you no sense of fight in you, Kuai?” Bi-Han looked down on his brother in disappointment. “There is no mercy in this war. They killed our family brutally and shamefully, and they would have no hesitation to ruin your little-boy body either. You’ve got to instil fear in your enemies and make them realize you’re not here to be fucked with. The more fatalities you perform, the more of a legend you will soon become.”

Just as Bi-Han finished his speech, more Shirai Ryu warriors jumped into the camp – they outnumbered the brothers more than before, and had even fiercer weapons. Kuai’s heart was now racing beyond what it should be, seeing as he was hardly prepared for an unfair fight like this.

“Brother, we’ve got to get out of here!” Kuai shouted – but despite Bi-Han’s agreement, they were surrounded, and they had no choice but to engage in a battle.

Bi-Han held up well for the most part, but Kuai was unable to assist him as he dealt with his own side of the fight. It was fortunate that the two brothers knew cryomancy, the only thing giving them an edge in this battle. But as they continued knocking out the opposing warriors, their stamina began to reach its limits as Kuai had exhausted himself out of the ability to use ice, and Bi-Han had finally lost in his side of the battle.

“Kuai…!” For the first time, Bi-Han sounded scared – a Shirai Ryu warrior held onto his face, now covered in blood. As Bi-Han tried to hold onto his life, Kuai tried to reach to him by knocking out the other warriors surrounding him using his fists, which were now freezing cold and without any sensation. Just as the Shirai Ryu warrior took out a knife and stabbed Bi-Han in the abdomen, Kuai grabbed onto him, throwing enough punches to weaken him and then grab onto his neck – creating a perfect opportunity for him to end this right here.

“You leave my brother alone,” Kuai fiercely said, as he pulled up on his victim’s neck, hearing the sounds of organic fibres being ripped as he struggled to pull his head up. His hands were not as big or strong as Bi-Han’s, and despite feeling determined enough to execute a man who tried to perform a painful fatality on his brother, the thought of playing with someone’s life like this was discomforting. His victim was still in obvious pain as Kuai could not seem to even grant him a swift death, making Kuai panic, and hastily pull off his head to end it all right at that moment.

Only part of his victim’s spine was pulled out, but Kuai wasn’t concerned about how perfect his technique was, instead going up to his brother, who was lying against the rock on the ground. “Brother! You’re hurt!”

“I-it’s nothing,” Bi-Han said with only some struggle, having stopped the bleeding from his wound. He made an effort to get up before Kuai even had the opportunity to help him up. Bi-Han walked to the corpse Kuai had made, and nodded in approval. “You took too long at the start and then rushed at the end. You didn’t get the angle quite perfect, so you ended up snapping his spine in the process.” Bi-Han then picked up the head with only half a spine, and handed it over to Kuai. “Still, that’s not bad for a first time. Keep practicing, you’ll get there eventually. Feel free to keep this degenerate’s head as a trophy, if you want.”

As Bi-Han walked away, leaving Kuai alone in the field of fallen and forgotten Shirai Ryu bodies, Kuai looked into the face of his victim, who still had an expression of agony on him. Not sure how to handle his first ever fatality, Kuai closed the eyes of the fallen warrior’s head and began to dig a hole in the snow, deciding it would be best to start by burying his victim at the very least.


End file.
